Chapter 689: Cannot Share the Same Sky

This time the Great King's personal expedition brought for training only the young mid-level officers; after returning from the wounded soldiers' camp they still have to hold a meeting—this is merely the beginning, the real test lies ahead.

The Great King took off his armor and changed into comfortable casual clothes, lazily leaning there to wipe the claws of the Laborious and Meritorious Lord Cover-Heaven; these claws have done plenty of work today.

His attitude was casual, but his words carried weight. "Our Great Jin's army: the more remote the posting, the higher the treatment should be. Originally guarding a place like Shangfang is already harsh; this time the consolation money for fallen border troops will be given at the highest standard—I cannot shortchange any who have sacrificed for Great Jin. Other matters follow the previously set rules: children can attend school for free, and if needed, we will arrange a livelihood for the family."

"Your Majesty is benevolent!"

The Great King waved his hand; among his own people he was too lazy to listen to useless talk.

"The surrendered Xiongnu said their Supreme Leader claimed to have brought two hundred thousand troops; even with some exaggeration, saying over a hundred thousand is probably accurate—this is our real test ahead. Let's count them as 150,000; 10,000 versus 150,000 is a great test of tactics and stamina, we still need to discuss specifics."

Aside from a few who originally held positions, these mid-level officers have all been promoted in recent years; without mentioning the training at Prosperous Multitude, they have also taken many military theory courses, so when questioned in discussion they are not completely clueless.

Everyone discussed for a while, roughly settled on a direction; the next battle will have vastly unequal numbers, so we made some changes based on today's tactics.

After finishing, Wei Shen stretched. "...... Knowing today's vanguard camp's ordeal, would Pu Nu be frightened enough to simply turn tail and run like a scared turtle? Is that possible?"

Speaking of this, the Great King was quite confident. "I know best how much grain and fodder a hundred thousand troops need when they move; even if they scrape by at the bare minimum, it's still an enormous number. The Xiongnu are plotting to unite the grasslands; originally they were locked in a life-and-death struggle, but now, due to the cold wave, they've mixed with the Xianbei. If they had a choice, would they still seamlessly pinch their noses and cooperate?"

"I guess their allied forces interior must be very lively—arguing over who takes the vanguard, who takes the flanks could tear the heavens apart, do you believe it?"

Wei Shen thought, "Hahaha, the biggest taboo on the battlefield is disunity—great news!"

"The Xiongnu King City and several Xianbei King Cities are far from here; Pu Nu has traveled a thousand li to get here. If he turns tail and runs at the last moment, then his tenure as Supreme Leader is over. Rest assured, he will grit his teeth and arrive on time."

Just as they were about to disperse, the Great King called them back: "Didn't you bring the banner of Shangfang Pass? From now on, change to it."

This guy wants to see Pu Nu's true colors; the Great King fears that if the opponent knows it's him personally in the ranks, bringing elite troops, his performance won't be good.

After the others withdrew, Wei Shen daringly grabbed a handful of the Great King's hair: "How did your brain grow like this?! At this young age, his mind is like a beehive."

The Great King swayed his head with his strength, "Do you hear it?"

Wei Shen didn't understand, "What?"

The Great King swayed his head again, seeing the other's confused expression, and ordered: "You sway too."

Wei Shen imitated him and swayed; the Great King leapt away first, then pointed at his cousin and shouted: "Listen! Your head is filled with gurgling water sounds! I have none—just pure wisdom, wisdom~"

Wei Shen: ……

Wei Shen was holding a meeting inside; his attendants waited outside. Normally when entering and leaving the palace they aren't followed, but the men placed by Marquis Wei Ting beside the grandson are all soldiers, top-notch hands; these usually train in the Owl Cavalry, and now on the march they follow the Second Prince. Everyone came out, but Wei Shen had no trace; they knew he couldn't come out for a short while, maybe he had already rested. A few even grabbed a cloth from the off-duty Owl Cavalry nearby, and together in the corner they wiped their armor while keeping watch.

As they rubbed, they noticed the Great King's imperial weapon shaking wildly; in the next instant the Great King burst out the door, while his household's Second Prince was still behind, daringly pulling on the Majesty's sleeve!

The Great King laughed while struggling to break free; could Wei Shen let him have his way? Knowing that running outside would look bad, he exerted all his strength to drag the Great King back into the tent. To escape, the Great King slipped his arm out of the sleeve, saying, "You like it, here you go, here you go……"

The Wei family's attendants looked up and down, deliberately avoiding their young master, their hands mechanically rubbing the armor—appearing even more busy than the Great King's feigned movements.

Next door, Bai Li Hu heard the commotion, came out to glance, sighed with an air of old-world weariness, tsk—those captives bound in the valley, seeing this scene, would feel worthless! How could we lose to such a guy!

However, being disturbed by the careless San Pangzi, his tension eased a bit; it seems the upcoming big battle this guy… has it under control? Originally he was worried—winning ten thousand versus ten thousand would be neat and clean, but facing twenty thousand numbers is too lopsided; turns out he himself was the one panicking to death……

The Great King is confident in battle, but not about supplies. Fighting desperately is fine, but he can't have his troops follow him starving and scrimping, can he? So as soon as night fell he ran to the manor to block Bai Yang.

"Brother Bai, I've come to get the compressed biscuits! Give me all the food you have tonight. We're about to decide the battle with the grasslands; bringing this much isn't ample enough—this time I'll drive them back to their homeland!"

Bai Yang only then realized this guy had already run off to Inner Mongolia these days without being seen! "Wait, I'll go out to get you some hot food; later you can sneak a bite."

Without hesitation he rushed out, then went back and frantically ordered delivery; all the nearby supermarkets, convenience stores, and fast-food brands that could serve quickly were swept up by him. "Eating junk food with such a good body—what's wrong with that?"

The Great King went to Phoenix Market for a round, urged his new partner to hurry up the grain delivery; returning, Bai Yang's shop was already piled high with food, deliciousness everywhere.

"What is this that smells so good?"

Bai Yang came in with big and small packages: "Pizza, fried chicken, roasted goose, buns, dumplings, braised meat, rice balls—everything you could want!"

The Great King's heart blossomed with joy; he immediately tore open a family bucket and started gnawing. Bai Yang couldn't help but laugh—indeed, this is the age that loves junk food.

"Store it while it's hot! The quality isn't like what you usually eat, but at least it's hot in the mouth—much better than gnawing compressed biscuits." The Great King was extremely satisfied: "Not just a little better—"

He happily paid Bai Yang a few symbolic ingots; they often come and go, not minding this bit of food. Once the transaction was done, he stored each batch while hot into the warehouse. Bai Yang then handed over all his stored grain to the Great King; this time the Great King felt much more at ease.

The Great King hurried back to sleep; he had barely lain down when Ling Yin woke him: "The scouts have returned—the enemy army is only twenty li away, marching nonstop through the night, and their numbers are indeed over a hundred thousand."

The Great King winced as he sat up: "Foolish effort! I and Pu Nu cannot coexist under the same heaven!"

Ling Yin: ……